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Gubernatorial candidates address agriculture, rural issues
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| Corn growing under irrigation in Montana. The three candidates for governor, incumbent Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Republican Roy Brown, and Libertarian Stan Jones, recently addressed agriculture and rural issues for The Prairie Star. |
HELENA, Mont. - The Montana gubernatorial candidates, incumbent Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Republican Roy Brown, and Libertarian Stan Jones, recently addressed agriculture and rural issues for The Prairie Star.
Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a third generation Montanan, was born in Havre, Mont., the fourth of six children raised on their parents' registered cattle ranch in Montana's Judith Basin.
He earned a bachelor's degree in international agronomy from Colorado State Univer-sity and a master's de-gree in soil science from Montana State University.
He has owned and operated Montana farms in the Flathead, Sanders, Rosebud and Judith Basin counties.
Schweitzer has traveled the world with his irrigation development career, which took him to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. In 2004, Schweitzer was elected as Montana's 23rd governor, the first democratic governor since 1988. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children.
Schweitzer's running mate is Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, who attended Billings Senior High School and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
He later received an honorable discharge from the Marines and earned a in business from University of Montana, and returned to the family business in Billings. Bohlinger and his late wife, Bette, raised six children and were married 43 years.
Sadly, Bette lost her second battle with cancer on Jan. 9, 2006.
Two years later, on Jan. 12, Bohlinger married Karen Seiler; the two reside in Montana City.
Republican Roy Brown, a native of Billings, Mont., started working in the oil fields as a “roughneck,” then enrolled at Montana Tech in Butte, Mont., where he earned a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering.
In 1983, he returned to Billings to raise his family, start a small business and become a community service.
In 1998, he was elected to the Montana House of Represen-tatives at the start of his public service career.
In 2002, he was selected as the House majority leader. He serves as a family man, business man and public servant. He and his wife, Kim, have three children.
Brown's running mate is Steve Daines, a fifth generation Montanan native to Bozeman, Mont.
Daines and his wife, Cindy, founded the Giveitback.com organization which advocates the return of more state surplus dollars to the taxpayers. He and his wife have four children.
Libertarian Stan Jones grew up as a farmer's son in Mon-tana's Gallatin Valley near Bozeman, Mont.
He attended public school in Bozeman and earned a bachelor's degree from Montana State University, after which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
While in the Air Force, he earned a master's degree in business at Arizona State Uni-versity. He retired from the military after serving 14 years of active duty and 14 years in the reserves. A veteran, Jones is also a pilot and academic instructor, having taught business courses for the University of California, University of Washington and Montana State Univer-sity.
Jones' running mate is Libertarian Mike Baker, who graduated from the Bozeman Christian School in 1988, and joined the Army National Guard in 1991. He is currently a sergeant in the Guard, a husband and father of five boys.
The gubernatorial candidates addressed top agricultural issues with The Prairie Star:
Q: What kind of relationship/experience do you have with Montana's agriculture industry?
Schweitzer: As a third-generation Mon-tana farmer and rancher, I have a close relationship with Montana's agriculture industry, as has my family for generations. I'm the first cattleman elected Montana's governor since 1916, and I'm also the state's first agricultural scientist to serve as governor. I have been in the cattle business my entire life, and have shipped cattle, semen, and embryos to almost every state in America and several countries. I have also raised a number of traditional and specialty crops, both in Montana and abroad.
Brown: Montana is my home and I have spent much of my life around the agriculture community. Whether it is ranching or farming, I have a deep appreciation for our heritage and history in these industries.
I know that throu ghout our history, if agriculture does well, Montana does well, and I am committed to ensuring that our ag producers are protected and supported as I know how important this industry is to the financial success and stability of our entire state.
Farmers and ranchers make up a large portion of Montana's small business owners, and they are a vital part of our state's heritage, and our economy.
Jones: I do not have an intimate relationship with Montana's agriculture industry. That does not mean that I do not have knowledge about the industry. My dad was a dirt farmer in Gallatin Valley during the years I was growing up. I had dirt under my fingernails until I left Montana for a career in the Air Force.
I know that the concerns of the Montana farmer have not changed a lot from those days. I am very much aware that we need to get government out of the way of the Montana farmer and I will do all I can to do exactly that.
Q: What types of renewable energies do you feel would work best for Montana and how would you incorporate the state's farmers and ranchers into the development of those energies?
Schweitzer: Renewable energy production, like wind power, has increased dramatically in Montana during my time as governor.
We have four new wind farms in Montana since 2005, with many more on the way. Montana has also been chosen as the North American site for one of the world's leading wind turbine manufacturers. Wind power continues to have incredible potential in Montana, and it can fit into almost any agricultural operation for a producer who is interested.
Biofuels also have great potential in Montana. Besides their worth as an increasingly cheaper and viable source of domestically produced energy, oilseed crops are readily adaptable to Montana, they provide diversification, require fewer inputs, and can help to break up pest cycles when used in rotation.
Many of Montana's farmers and ranchers have already begun experimentation and have signed production contracts with new oilseed facilities in the state.
Brown: I believe in an “all of the above” solution to our energy problems. I believe all kinds of alternative fuels will serve a purpose in our overall energy needs, but that doesn't mean we should ignore our traditional sources of energy, like coal, where Montana has more reserves than any other state in the country. Solar and wind are two that are in abundance in Montana and fairly easy to cultivate.
Wind energy still allows for crop cultivation as well. I believe biofuels will be an important part of meeting our energy needs, and I think we need to create an atmosphere that makes it feasible for farmers to plant biofuel crops that can be profitable, without negatively impacting the food supply.
Jones: I am not in favor of development of any of the renewable energy resources. Anytime a source of energy requires government subsidies you are merely introducing distortions in the free market which will delay the development of technologies that will provide true solutions to the problem. The net increase in production of biofuels is around 50 gallons per acre per year. That will never have a significant impact on a nation (America) that uses 134 billion gallons of gas a year.
To have any significant impact we would have to convert so much land from food production to biofuel production that significant portions of the world population would starve. We must immediately build at least 25 pebble bed nuclear reactors in America and increase the search for new sources of uranium or we will have a significant decrease in available electricity by 2020.
Q: What is your position on taxing businesses and agriculture equipment?
Schweitzer: The best form of tax relief is tax relief that benefits Montanans and Montana businesses, not out-of-state corporations or people who don't even live in Montana. During my time as governor, I have cut more taxes for more Montanans than any other administration in state history, including the elimination of the “water tax.” In both the 2005 and 2007 sessions of the Montana Legislature, I urged the elimination of the business equipment tax on 27,000 farms, ranches, and small businesses - about 90 percent of the businesses in Montana.
While the legislature took only 13,000 small businesses off the tax rolls, I will take my plan back to the 2009 legislature to eliminate the business equipment tax for the other 14,000 small businesses.
Brown: One of my first priorities as governor will be to eliminate the business equipment tax. This tax is not only onerous, it is a disincentive for small business owners to open their doors in Montana. This equipment is used to put Montanans to work, most often it's used by small business owners. Instead of taxing the equipment already in use we need to create a tax structure that promotes more Montanans to start their own business or agricultural enterprises. This is a punitive tax that is a disincentive to expanding an operation or purchasing new equipment, and it only serves to slow our economic growth and opportunity.
Jones: I have a plan that will eliminate all taxes on business and agriculture equipment. The only taxes I would leave in place would be use taxes. Use taxes are those taxes that tax activities or facilities that the people who are taxed use.
The comprehensive sales tax would be a tree tier tax. The state would have a state wide rate to produce revenues for state government. Each county would add a rate to run county government; and each city or town would have a rate that would provide revenue to run city/town government. The tax could only be raised by a vote of the people in the jurisdiction requesting the raise. The tax would be collected on every sale - cars, houses, food, services, etc. By spreading the tax to all sales, the rate can be reduced and only those people accumulating things would pay the tax.
Q: Where, in your opinion, is the heart of Montana's agriculture industry, and how do you plan to secure funding for this area?
Schweitzer: The heart of Montana's agriculture industry is the area of Montana that is “outside the boot.” I have made a special effort in my first term as governor to develop the economy in this vast region, where my roots are, especially as it concerns energy and agriculture. I will continue this effort in a second term should voters decide to give me that opportunity.
Brown: I think the heart of Montana's agriculture industry rests in all of our ag producers - the people. As the backbone of our state's economy, farmers and ranchers are all responsible for the significant economic success of our state that has been achieved primarily through their hard work.
I will work to protect the rights and needs of both farmers and ranchers when it comes to property rights, cooperation between private landowners and the right of public usage, as well as some of the burdensome challenges posed by the natural ups and downs of the industry.
I will work to protect ranchers from brucellosis and will focus on eradication of the disease. I will work with our state's congressional delegation to secure funds to help farmers with the debilitating effects of natural disasters.
Agriculture is not only an essential part of our state economy, it's a way of life.
Jones: It is not a government function to secure funding for any part of the economy. However, it is a government responsibility to get out of the way of the free enterprise system so it can work and increase efficiency - naturally. I will work to keep government out of the way of agriculture. I will work to keep the federal government out of Montana, and keep it from distorting the free market. When the New Zealand government got out of the way the agricultural sector flourished. We can do the same in America and Montana.
Q: Why should those in Montana's agriculture industry elect you as governor?
Schweitzer: Before becoming governor, I made my living as a Montana farmer and rancher. I know firsthand how hard our farmers and ranchers work, and I know that agriculture has been the backbone of the Montana economy for over a century. As a third generation Montana farmer and rancher, I'm committed to keeping our state's agricultural community strong. Agriculture, however, is part of the larger whole that is Montana. Economic success for the entire state helps agriculture, and agriculture helps the entire state.
As our aggressive economic development efforts move Montana into the forefront of economic activity in the nation, agriculture will always be a key competent of our state's success.
Brown: I'm willing to lead with cooperative and inclusive approach. I want to bring the best minds together to find the solution - not just people who will support my solution, but people who will fight for the right solution. I'll fight for the common sense solutions that we need. I'll be a leader that you can trust to work with you as a partner, and that's reflected by the high marks I've received as a legislator from groups like the Stockgrowers and Farm Bureau. I'll promote Montana, not myself, and I'll work every day to make this state a better place.
Jones: My administration will not be government as usual. For the first time in the lives of most Montanans you will see a significant reduction in government size and in government spending. You will notice a decidedly lack of government people sticking their nose in your business. I will dedicate myself to protecting your freedoms (mainly from federal government intrusion).
I will force as many government decisions down to your local level so that the people in every community have a much stronger voice in the policies that effect them. I will let government get involved in matters that only government can do.
Q: In your opinion, who - agriculture, wildlife, urban areas or the federal government - should have first rights on Montana's water resources?
Schweitzer: I do not support handing our water rights over to the federal government. In fact, when I testified before Congress about water rights last year, I said, “We don't want to put the federal government in the position of managing our waterways all the way to the Rocky Mountains.”
Western water law and Montana water law are both crystal clear on water rights - first in time, first in right. The vast majority of those rights are agricultural in nature. Montana must maintain primacy over its water rights, and I will continue to fight any effort to the contrary.
Brown: I believe in first-in-time, first-in-line, and I strongly believe that Montana's water should be ours to manage. I believe that while we have some disagreements from time to time, we as citizens of this state can and will do the best job of managing our own water, and that's not a responsibility I want in the hands of a Washington bureaucrat. I fought to protect our water rights, and that's a fight I'll continue as governor.
Jones: I doubt that you will ever prevent wildlife from using the water resources. Agriculture must be given a very high priority to the use. That does not mean that urban areas must be excluded. The federal government must have no vote whatsoever. If water becomes so scarce that we must fight over it then the free market must decide. People will have to pay for water like they do any other resource.
Q: How do you feel about developing natural resources on state-owned lands?
Schweitzer: As governor I am a member of the State Land Board that makes decisions about the management of state lands. When I took office in 2005, Montana was leasing roughly 200,000 acres of state land, generating $1.1 million in oil and gas revenue. We worked to dramatically increase that number.
By the end of 2007, the state was leasing roughly 362,000 acres of state land, generating $7.16 million in oil and gas revenue. Receipts to the state from these activities have never been higher. These state lands are critical because they produce revenues that help fund Montana's schools.
As a member of the land board I will continue to advocate for the use of these lands held in trust to benefit the people of Montana, in a sustainable manner. Jones: Yes, we should develop natural resources on state-owned land.
We cannot just leave coal or oil or other resources in the ground when we are experiencing an energy crisis, a crisis brought about by government intervention in the free market. The coal fired power plants are now able to scrub out truly harmful pollutants.
We cannot afford to wait and debate about development of more energy for our nation. It can be done responsibly now with little effect on the environment.
Brown: The state must show commitment to responsible resource development - real commitment that goes beyond press conferences. It is important to use land already owned by the state to conduct these developments which benefit our schools, but it is also important to encourage natural resource development by private landowners and companies as well.
The advantage of using state lands is that we already own that property and we have more control over how it is developed.
Because the state as a vested interest in the long term use of this land it is more likely to be developed responsibly and in a way that still allows for public use and recreation.
Jones: Yes, we should develop natural resources on state-owned land. We cannot just leave coal or oil or other resources in the ground when we are experiencing an energy crisis, a crisis brought about by government intervention in the free market.
The coal fired power plants are now able to scrub out truly harmful pollutants. We cannot afford to wait and debate about development of more energy for our nation. It can be done responsibly now with little effect on the environment.
Q: Montana's youth is its future. What types of opportunities for the youth do you foresee in the future, if you are elected governor?
Schweitzer: One of Montana's most important resources is our children. As Governor, I've made education a top priority. Since 2005, we've increased Mon-tana's investment in K-12 education by 27 percent, while at the same time increasing the investment in higher education by 32 percent.
We've also capped tuition at our state colleges and universities and provided a historic number of scholarships for Montana's best and brightest students.
Brown: Many Montana children are born into the ag industry and raised to continue the family business.
For others, I believe it is important for them to be raised with an understanding and appreciation for the role ag producers play in our state's economy and heritage.
FFA, 4-H, and the Departments of Livestock and Agriculture already have several quality programs to help achieve these goals, and I believe it's important for state government to continue and further these programs as needed and able.
The unfortunate reality in Montana is that a lot of our small towns are dying.
A lot of our children are graduating here and leaving the state for higher paying jobs.
My top priority will be growing the economy and providing new opportunities for young people to find work here, stay here, and raise their family here.
Jones: I would give the same answer that was previously stated.
